He only slowed when approaching the intersection where Lt. Ron Westbrook was carefully positioned in an SUV hoping to stop him.

"You can't completely block a roadway because that’s considered deadly force," Purcell detective Scott Stephens said. "You have to leave an opening for them to go so he could've gone around either side of Lt. Westbrook and he did not."

Police said it appears Thrash intentionally hit the officer's SUV.

"He hit him solidly at full speed and some of the speeds we were getting were up to 70 mph so he hit him at pretty hard force," Stephens said.

The impact did not stop the suspect.

Authorities said he sped through one of the busiest stretches of Purcell before stopping at Main Street.

"It was raining and slick and potentially going through a school zone we had all of the ingredients for a major incident to happen here in Purcell," said Hewett.

Thrash was arrested on a long list of complaints including assault with a deadly weapon.

The stolen wrecker is expected to be returned.

The owner of Aggressive Towing said he is disappointed his wrecker was damaged in the incident but is also grateful authorities stopped the suspect before any other damage was done.